Review

I am the Flail of God. If you had not committed great sins, God would not have sent a punishment like me upon you."

-Genghis Khan

In the thirteenth century C.E, the world would fall under attack from a foe more daunting and brutal than any seen before: Genghis Khan. Nations, warned of the coming warlord by spies sent to instigate fear, trembled in fear and streets became rivers of blood. In his short, twenty-one year reign, almost the entirety of Eurasia and the Middle East were united through cruel conquest, and the Mongols’ empire prospered. After Genghis Khan’s death in 1227 C.E, the world thought that they had seen the last of the feared Khagan, but they were frightfully mistaken: in 1979, the ruler's spirit would guide a German pop band to fame and glory. Dschinghis Khan (thus was named the band) set out not to conquer the nations of the world with an arsenal of spears and swords; no, they would instead conquer the hearts of listeners worldwide with an arsenal of pop hooks and history-themed lyrics. And, goddammit, were they successful.

Dschinghis Khan is everything that one would expect from a late seventies European pop band: cheesy, hyper-catchy choruses, disco rhythms, groovy guitar riffs, and plenty of keyboards-in other words, the kind of thing that, on paper, makes the average listener grateful that the decade is long gone. Odd thing is, it all works here. Really well, actually.

Of course, anybody that insists on taking Dschinghis Khan seriously might as well not bother listening: it’ll be a perfect waste of time. Most everybody else, though, will find themselves diving into a sea of synth-fueled, anthemic goodness. From China Boy’s funky riffage to the title track’s sing-along chant of “Dschin, Dschin, Dschinghis Khan,” just about all of the melodies are both skillfully crafted and memorable. This, along with a surprising amount of variety between songs, makes the album a thoroughly enjoyable listen that almost never becomes monotonous, with a couple drawn-out songs (Israel, Israel, I’m looking at you) serving as an unfortunate exception.

Here, we see the band at its peak, and, despite their efforts, they'd never be able to reach this level again. Granted, Dschinghis Khan never becomes anything more than gimmicky fun, but, really, what else could one want from it? As far as unpretentious, cheesy pop tunes go, these six guys dressed up like Mongol fighters are about as good as it gets.

Yes, I am entirely serious with the rating. As much as I realize that I shouldn't, I really do like this album. I understand that the review is short, but I think I covered the album sufficiently. That said, if I find anything to add, I'll do so.

The first track on side 2 is a bit of a classic, it was no1 in a few countries. It was also entered into the Eurovision Song Contest. Moskau from what I remember is a bit similar. I first heard it in a mix which combined the title track, Moskau and maybe another, they combined very fluently.